A LIVE music and entertainment venue in Greenock has been saved thanks to a substantial funding boost from the Scottish Government.

McGeoch’s in Greenock has received £31,000 in emergency funding from the grassroots music venues stabilisation fund through Creative Scotland.

At the start of September, bosses at venue owners WBI Group opted to close McGeoch's and rebrand and reopen as Industry.

The company said the move was a temporary one and necessary in order to allow the business to diversify and stay alive.

Reopening the venue as Industry was intended to attract overflow bookings from the outdoor Back Lane beer garden.

Bosses now say that the nw funding guarantees that McGeoch's will relaunch when coronavirus restrictions on live music are lifted.

A spokesperson for the venue said: "This money ensure that we open can McGeoch's as a live music venue when we're allowed to do so.

"We're really happy about it and we're focused on reopening when we can.

"We would have been crazy not to apply for the funding.

"McGeoch's is a big part of the community.

"We work closely with West College Scotland and welcome students who need experience of putting on gigs and everything that's associated with that.

"This will help us continue to provide that experience for them."

WBI Group say they are now preparing for a reopening when possible and that discussion on staffing will take place further down the line.

The spokesperson added: "We had to diversify and that was the right decision for us to make.

"We're looking forward to reopening McGeoch's and we're happy that live music can stay in the area."

The government support fund is aimed at providing venues with emergency support to help address the impact of Covid-19 and prevent closure.

It received 98 applications from venues across Scotland, totalling £3.2million, and 72 eligible applications secured funding.

Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland, said: "Live music has been hit particularly hard by Covid-19 and Creative Scotland is only too aware of the severity of that impact.

"These awards will help bring short-term stability to the grassroots music sector and alleviate some of the challenges that the ongoing pandemic has presented.

"Music is such a significant part of Scotland’s cultural life and it is here, at grassroots level, that talented musicians create new material connecting with audiences young and old.

"We look forward to the day when we’ll all be back together, cheering on artists face-to-face - but, until then, this fund will provide a lifeline to one of the most vibrant scenes that Scotland has to offer."